Help! What to do about tuition!

jarhea · Apr 10, 2006

I'm so sorry, how stressful for you. If I were you, I would just suck it up and go for the loans. Trust me, I'm surviving off loans this semester and loving it. I've never been able to fully concentrate on school, without having to work to pay the bills. I do worry about how I'm going to pay them off, but I know that I am getting the best education possible right now. My loans are just past $20,000, and only going to get higher. Of course, I messed around for a couple years before deciding on nursing school. I know the government has loan repayment programs, especially if you work in an area which has a real need. I wish you the best of luck!

lna2rn · Apr 11, 2006

I am first semester Nursing and currently working full time at a hospital because they will pay for about 75% of my education (this benefit kicks in this summer for me). BUT... my grades are suffering due to lack of time to study. I am wondering if I should just take out student loans and take my chances of finding a place that will pay for most or all of them or should I continue to kill myself like I am (and I am not sure how much more I can do). Are a lot of places paying loans off for you to come work for them? I need advice! Help!

Right now the federal government is giving forbearances if you work for a LTC after graduation or in a rural area in desperate need of nurse. Look into it it may help you.

Columnist · Apr 11, 2006

Right now the federal government is giving forbearances if you work for a LTC after graduation or in a rural area in desperate need of nurse. Look into it it may help you.

And it doesn't even have to be a rural area. Any area designated as "underserved" or something like that qualifies. Go to the Dept. of Health and Human Services website or do a search on "nursing loan forgiveness" and you should be able to pull up a map or list of zip codes that qualify.

Good luck!

sunnyjohn · Apr 12, 2006

And it doesn't even have to be a rural area. Any area designated as "underserved" or something like that qualifies. Go to the Dept. of Health and Human Services website or do a search on "nursing loan forgiveness" and you should be able to pull up a map or list of zip codes that qualify.
Good luck!

http://bhpr.hrsa.gov/nursing/loanrepay.htm

wonka · Apr 12, 2006

Hope you find a solution...balancing school and full time work is no easy thing!!

llg, PhD, RN · Apr 12, 2006

Getting some help with repaying some of your student loans is a real possibillity -- but don't assume you will be able to get "most" of your education paid for by someone else. As the old saying goes ... "There is no such thing as a free lunch." Higher education is expensive and for most people, it means making a big sacrifice to be able to afford it. It's just a matter of which sacrifice you are most willing to make.

Some people work hard, delay school, delay childbearing, save their money, and pay for most of their education themselves. Other people pay back their loans by sacrificing things like vacations, sports cars, nice furniture, etc. after they graduate. Other people sacrifice some of their freedom by committing to work for a certain hospital to qualify for educational loan assistance. Still other people make a committment to the government to work only in certain institutions in exchange for student loan repayment.

But make no mistake about it -- when you make those "deals" with the government or with a specific hospital, you do make a sacrifice in your ability to choose your job and you might come to regret that decision later. Before you sign a contract, be sure you have read all the fine print and that you are prepared to work whatever job they are allowed to assign you to do. Most of those deals have strings attached and you need to be sure that you are OK with them before you sign.

Good luck with whatever route you choose to take,

llg

TiredStudentNurse07 · Apr 16, 2006

Thanks for all of your help! I still do not know what I am going to do yet but work is killing me!